LED lamps combine electronic components that operate at high current and high temperatures (e.g., high-current density light-emitting diodes) with other electronics that operate a low currents and low temperatures (e.g., driver electronics, capacitors, etc.). For example, an array of high-current light-emitting diodes can operate sustainably at temperatures over 120° C. In contrast, driver electronics operate sustainably at room temperature, and in some cases, cannot operate reliably at sustained temperatures of over 120° C.
One legacy approach is to position driver electronics away from the high-temperatures of the high-current density components. While this technique applies in some situations (e.g., where there is sufficient distance) it is not always the case that the space and air-flow/temperature-flow considerations permit sufficient heat dissipation away from the driver electronics. One such example arises with the form factor of an MR-16 LED lamp.
In certain legacy situations, the MR-16 driver components are required to meet automotive or military application specifications (e.g., in order to operate reliably at such high temperatures). However, components that meet automotive or military application specifications often are more costly, and/or do not have desired performance characteristics. For instance, application-appropriate capacitors simply do not have the performance characteristics needed to concurrently meet electrical design constraints and also to operate within a high temperature domain.
Therefore, there is a need for improved approaches for controlling heat flow in LED lamps.